Art Nouveau in the US
This week we focused on the two main influences of Art Nouveau in the United States: Louis Tiffany and Louis Sullivan. Although the
movement didn’t take off in the States as it did in France, Spain, or Belgium,
these two important designers took inspiration from the famous Art Nouveau
works from around the world and incorporated it into the American lifestyle.
From last week’s reading and from what our textbook states, “Art Nouveau
artists was the belief that artistic forms should take their inspiration from
nature; flowers, vines, birds, and insects all served as a source material.”
This is evident in Tiffany and Sullivan's designs which make them stand out
against the typical style of architecture that is seen in the United States.
Louis Tiffany studied at the National Academy of Design in
New York City where he practiced decorative art, pottery, glasswork, and
jewelry making. After his education, he decided to focus on glass art and was
commissioned to design several church windows. He took inspiration from his
time in Europe and North Africa where he studied Romanesque art and Islamic and
Japanese ceramics and incorporated their features into his glass designs. As
time went on, Tiffany broadened his career and started to design whole interiors
that were heavily influenced by the Art Nouveau style. Today, he is most known
for his work with stained glass in windows and lamps which reflect the natural,
organic elements of the Art Nouveau movement.
Louis Sullivan was educated at MIT and Ecole des
Beau-Arts-Paris where he focused on architecture and writing. During his prime,
he was involved with the rebuilding of Chicago after the great fire which left
him with a blank slate to create a new style he desired. In his skyscraper
designs, he created modern buildings that incorporated ornament and highly
decorative designs. Due to the fire, steel was introduced as a building
material and Sullivan was one of the first designers to use the material as a
building frame. Today, he is most recognized for his high-rise and mid-rise
buildings such as the Wainwright Building, the Guaranty Building, the
Auditorium, and the Carson Pirie Scott Store.
The Art Nouveau movement in the US was minimal compared to
other major design styles. Yet it impacted many major cities such as New York
and Chicago and created world-renowned recognizable buildings that people still
seek today.
One Step Further: Carson Pirie Scott Building
The Carson Pirie Scott Building, also known as the Sullivan
Center, was designed to be a retail space located on the corner of State and
Madison Street in Chicago. In this area, there are many shops and retail spaces
so the company, Carson Pirie Scott, commissioned Louis Sullivan to design a
building that would stand out from its surrendering context in hopes of drawing
in more business. Sullivan designed a dramatically animated building that
served function and beauty. This became one of the first famous skyscrapers in
the world due to its ornate and unusual detail. The building's upper unit’s
facades are very horizontal with a slight curve at the corner to keep the
flowing style uniform. The bottom retail space is decorated in dark cast iron
detail that was inspired by the native plants of the Midwest prairies.
Together, the two main parts of the Sullivan building make up the world-famous
skyscraper.
Sources:
✅
Carson, Pirie, Scott Store - Sullivan Center - Data, Photos & Plans -
WikiArquitectura
Sullivan
Center | Buildings of Chicago | Chicago Architecture Center
Additional information:
Carson,
Pirie, Scott Building by Louis Sullivan [ Architecture Enthusiast ] (youtube.com)
Louis
Sullivan: A New Architecture for Chicago (youtube.com)
Marisa this is a great summary for this week - it's engaging, educational, and well-written. I felt like not only did you cover the general information on Tiffany and Sullivan, but you also included subtle additional facts that made the blog feel natural and thoughtful. I enjoyed your one step further on the Carson Pirie Scott Building - it's so cool that we can see one of Sullivan's pieces still standing in Chicago.
ReplyDeleteMarisa,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog! Your summary was very well organized and hit a lot of the main points from chapter. I also really liked your 'One Step Further' because of how you included a building that was more recent, but still held those Art Nouvaeu characteristics.
Marisa,
ReplyDeleteExcellent Blog post. This was a engaging and detailed summary of Art Nouveau in America. You were accurate to state that while the movement itself was not as substantial in the United States it did leave it's mark in Chicago and New York.
I enjoyed your focus on the Carson Pirie Scott Building and Louis Sullivan.
Total Points: 50/50